In an earlier application entitled "Modular Building Block for an Optical Interconnection Network", Ser. No. 08/812,625, filed Mar. 7, 1997 by Kenneth J. Fasanella, T. J. Kim, David Neilson and Eugen Schenfeld, and having a common assignee as this application, there are described optomechanical components for use in free space optical networks.
Other examples of electrooptic and optical components useful in free space optical networks are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,819 entitled "Optical Interconnect Network", in U.S. Pat. No. 5,619,359 entitled "Optoelectronic Apparatus", and in pending U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 08/558,352, filed Nov. 16, 1995 entitled "Optoelectronic Apparatus."
One of the factors limiting the use of optics in systems of the kind mentioned are the high costs of the optical components and of their assembly in such systems. Much of the cost of assembly is related to the difficulty of alignment of such components to the close tolerances required for optimum use of such components. For optics to make major inroads transmission networks there is a need for optical components that are both low in cost and readily amenable to easy assembly.
The present invention seeks to present a solution to these needs.